Latest news with #Juul
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The FDA Just Approved Juul's E-Cigarettes. Does That Make Altria Stock a Buy Here?
Following a prolonged and high-stakes legal battle, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Juul marketing approval for its e-cigarettes. For Altria (MO), a tobacco giant and an early investor in Juul, this is an interesting development. While this is a positive on the regulatory front for the wider e-cigarette industry in general and the company's own NJOY brand, it also raises competitive pressure for Altria in the vaping market as it no longer holds a position in Juul. Investors should note that at the end of March, Altria also announced that it would halt sales of its NJOY e-cigarettes in the U.S. due to a patent infringement ruling in favor of Juul. More News from Barchart Opendoor Stock Is Surging Higher in a Frenzied Retail Rally. How Should You Play OPEN Shares Here? This Penny Stock Wants to Become the MicroStrategy of Dogecoin Robinhood Stock Stumbles as S&P 500 Inclusion Is Once Again Off the Table for HOOD Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! About Altria Altria is one of the most popular tobacco companies in the world with iconic brand such as Marlboro, Copenhagen, Skoal, and Black & Mild in its portfolio. Its diversified presence also includes smokeless products, cigars, and nicotine alternatives such as the aforementioned NJOY. MO stock is up 13.4% on a YTD basis, with the company boasting a market cap of $99 billion. Tobacco stocks are known for having high dividend yields, but Altria's is especially high at 6.9%. Moreover, the company is a 'Dividend King,' having increased dividends consecutively over the past 54 years. So, how should one play MO stock now? Let's have a closer look. Boring But Steady Financials When it comes to Altria's numbers, they are nothing extraordinary. In fact, they are quite boring, marked by not much growth. Over the past 10 years, the company's revenue and earnings have reported CAGRs of just -0.4% and 8%, respectively. Following this trend, the first quarter was a mixed bag for the company. While net revenues of $5.5 billion denoted a yearly decline of 5.7%, adjusted earnings went up by 6% in the same period to $1.23. A decline of 13.3% seen in shipments of its flagship Marlboro cigarettes was a primary reason for the overall decline in sales. Meanwhile, while volumes for NJOY consumables increased by 23.9% from the previous year to 13.5 million units, NJOY devices witnessed a significant 70% decline in reported shipments. Overall, its retail share of consumables increased to 6.6%. Altria closed the quarter with a cash balance of $4.73 billion. This was above its short-term debt levels of $2.6 billion. For 2025, the company expects its earnings to be in the range of $5.30 to $5.45 per share, the midpoint of which would represent growth of 5% from 2024. Altria's Tailwinds and Headwinds One growth product for Altria is its On! nicotine pouch brand, which has been gaining ground, and could take the lead in place of NJOY in its alternative portfolio. The company grew the market share of its On! pouches to 8.8%, up from 7% in the year-ago period. Sales volumes also grew to 39.3 million cans, a jump of 18% from a year ago. Notably, the company sees potential for further expansion, especially with new flavors planned and the possibility of launching On! PLUS in the U.S., a variant currently sold in select European markets. Further, despite shifting industry trends, Altria's cigarette business remains strong. Marlboro still holds nearly 46% of the U.S. cigarette market, maintaining its dominance. Additionally, the Black & Mild brand also continues to perform well in the machine-made cigar category. Meanwhile, on the heated tobacco front, often referred to as HTC, Altria is exploring two new products: Ploom and SWIC. Both are marketed as reduced-risk alternatives. Ploom, a product developed with Japan Tobacco, is awaiting FDA authorization before a potential U.S. debut. While timelines aren't certain, Altria seems optimistic. The other option, SWIC, features a capsule-style heated tobacco system and might appeal to smokers who haven't transitioned to vape products but are still looking for non-combustible alternatives. That said, not all bets have worked out. The $12.8 billion investment in Juul Labs failed to pan out, and Altria eventually abandoned that stake. Perhaps even more problematic was losing the right to sell IQOS in the U.S., a product many had viewed as a cornerstone of its reduced-risk portfolio. Though On! is gaining, the broader picture in oral tobacco tells a different story. Altria's overall share in the segment slipped from 37.8% to 34.7% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the NJOY ACE platform is in limbo. The U.S. International Trade Commission issued cease-and-desist and exclusion orders, preventing Altria from importing or selling it domestically for now. This followed a ruling that NJOY ACE had infringed on four Juul Labs patents. Altria could try modifying the device to bypass those patents, but that approach may be risky. Any major redesign would likely trigger a fresh FDA application, and the approval process is neither quick nor guaranteed. Analyst Opinions on MO Stock Thus, analysts have deemed MO stock to be a 'Hold' with a mean target price of $57.73, which has already been surpassed. However, the high target price of $65 denotes an upside potential of about 8% from current levels. Out of 14 analysts covering the stock, four have a 'Strong Buy' rating, eight have a 'Hold' rating, one has a 'Moderate Sell' rating, and one has a 'Strong Sell' rating. On the date of publication, Pathikrit Bose did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Juul granted FDA marketing approval
This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Juul has been granted marketing approval for five e-cigarette products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. The approved products include Juul's e-cigarette device as well as Virginia tobacco and menthol-flavored Juul pods in 3% and 5% nicotine concentration varieties. This announcement reverses an earlier decision from the FDA, which denied Juul's application in June 2022. Dive Insight: Juul can now market and sell these five items in the U.S. The FDA reached its decision after Juul submitted additional data, including a two-year-long study focused on whether Juul products can help consumers quit regular cigarettes, according to the announcement. After the FDA denied Juul's application in June 2022, Juul filed a lawsuit in response, prompting an appeals court judge to issue a stay. The FDA issued its own administrative stay in July 2022 for 'additional review.' It later rescinded the marketing denial as it re-evaluated the e-cigarette company's data. 'Following an extensive scientific review, the FDA determined that evidence provided by the company – including new information the company submitted in response to a deficiency letter from the FDA – demonstrates that these specific products meet the legal standard set by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,' the FDA noted in its announcement. Juul now joins RJ Reynolds' Vuse, Altria's Njoy and Japan Tobacco's Logic as the only e-cigarette products allowed to be marketed to customers in the U.S. Juul said in a statement that the FDA's approval 'marks an important milestone' that lets the company look ahead at what's next. 'Today's authorization of the JUUL System, including the market-leading tobacco-flavored vapor product in the U.S., enables us to submit applications with updates to the device and pod hardware with the goal of improving the user experience,' the company said. Marketing approval may provide a boost to Juul's sales, since the company can now begin advertising and using other promotions. Juul is currently third in U.S. sales among e-cigarette companies, behind Njoy and Geek Bar maker Guangdong Qisitech, according to a report from Goldman Sachs. That same report noted that Juul's sales have declined by over 14% in the past year. Two other companies — Triton Distribution and Vapetasia — also filed suit to get their applications reconsidered. However, a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year found no improprieties in the FDA's denial.
Refinery29
22-07-2025
- Health
- Refinery29
Why People Are Swapping Vapes For Cigarettes Despite The Risks
'Cigarettes for me were a form of nicotine that I was able to have more 'control' over than vaping,' says Ellie*, 29, from New York. It isn't just Ellie who thinks this. When vapes spiked in popularity, the marketing of them as a way to cut back on cigarettes pervaded. This messaging is even backed by the NHS, where the advice on nicotine vapes is that they are 'one of the most effective stop smoking aids'. The FDA however, hasn't approved of vapes for this use in the U.S. The science repeatedly says they're less damaging than cigarettes. And yet, people are now switching back to smoking in an attempt to cut out vaping for good. What's more, they're convinced it's better for them. There's a disconnect between what the experts say and what smokers think about the health risks. Ellie is a prime example of this. 'While cigarettes are indisputably dangerous and cancer-causing, I actually know what's in them, and the long-term effects are documented,' she says. 'Because vapes are a newer invention, we don't yet know what the full risks are,' Ellie adds. She isn't alone in her perspective. A survey on smoking in England, updated this month, found that current smokers believe vapes are 'equally or more harmful' than cigarettes, despite the NHS again affirming that vaping more frequently than smoking doesn't make them worse. New research from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) concludes that vapes are being 'underused' to quit smoking and that the public is 'confused' about the health risks posed by vapes. Their data found that 63% of young people think vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking. Just last year, their survey showed 50% of people felt this way, so the public health disconnect is growing. Perceptions have shifted back in favour of cigarettes, not because people are misinformed and unaware of the cancer risks. They know them well. Instead, it's the lack of decades long research on vapes that we have on cigarettes that's swinging people away from vaping. Ellie's smoking habit began, like many people, as a result of working around other smokers. 'I realised while working at a restaurant that my coworkers who were smokers (which was most of them) were able to get 'smoke breaks' during their shifts that non-smokers were not given. It was both a way to be social with my coworkers during and after shifts, and gave me a reason to step outside for a moment during the work day.' Then as a sophomore in 2015, she swapped cigarettes for vapes for the next five years. The lure was strong, and strawberry-flavoured. 'The thing about vaping is that unlike cigarettes, I could use them anywhere and everywhere. In bed before I fell asleep and immediately when I woke up, in the bathroom at work or restaurants, and while sitting at my desk when working from home, while sitting on the couch watching a movie with friends,' says Ellie. When she looked into it, she found that one Juul pod has the same amount of nicotine as around 20 cigarettes. At the height of Ellie's addiction, she was 'easily' going through a pod every day and a half or so — whereas during her first time as a cigarette smoker, she was smoking five or six cigarettes a day at the peak. Upon doing the maths, she became deeply concerned about the amount of nicotine she was consuming. 'I had read studies about how long-term vaping can damage your blood vessels and cause ' popcorn lung ' [ editor's note: Diacetyl is the risky ingredient linked to popcorn lung. In the UK it's banned from vapes, but is still allowed in the U.S. Vaping without this ingredient does not cause popcorn lung ]. After a friend posted about how they were hospitalised for possibly permanent damage to their blood vessels as a result of heavy vaping, I decided I wanted to stop, and used cigarettes to help me wean off.' Ellie shared some of her research with me, and it is alarming. There's concern about the toxic metals contained within them, for example, and concerns around their regulation globally. These scares have contributed to the false idea that vaping is worse than smoking. The new generation of nicotine-users are worried about the speed at which they run through a vape. So, after briefly fading from fashion among younger people, cigarettes now had a place in their eyes once more. Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, tells Refinery29 this trend is a serious concern. 'While we may not have decades of data we have on smoking we have more than enough to know that smoking is so much more of a risk to your health,' Cheeseman says. 'People are not 'addicted to smoking' or 'addicted to vaping' — they are addicted to nicotine. When people feel they vape more than they smoke, this is because the vape delivers nicotine in a different way to cigarettes [which is far less rapid], not because they are more addicted.' Cheeseman is clear that much more needs to be done to make sure people understand the risks better. Up to two thirds of long-term smokers die prematurely from smoking related illness. 'If people believe cigarettes are a healthier choice they are completely misguided,' says Cheeseman. It's a damning reality, but one that isn't seeming to impress itself on people, who truly believe cigarettes have helped them. Jenny*, 27, who lives in London, thinks vapes made her 'way more addicted to nicotine' compared with when she socially smoked cigarettes, having been an on and off smoker since her teenage years. Like Ellie, she would vape at any given opportunity at home or out of the house. Jenny began to notice she was becoming short of breath at the gym. Though aware of the risks attached to cigarettes, she's found it easier to have periods where she completely stops smoking compared with when she vaped. At the start of this year, Jenny decided to quit for two and a half months. Now that it's festival season, she wants to socially smoke again. But the kicker for her though, is cigarettes haven't become a daily habit like vaping grew to be. 'I see it now as a treat,' says Jenny. 'Switching back to cigarettes has given me a better relationship with my smoking. I've seen friends who never touched cigs now be in a complete state of panic and distress when they lose their Lost Marys. It's insane. The fact we can do it anywhere, just makes it far too accessible.' And while it's less of a concern than the health side of things, Jenny adds: 'You look impossibly unchic having a vape'. Mistrust of vapes, in the UK at least, seemed to gain momentum in some circles when the disposable vape ban came into effect in June this year. Lewis*, 31, from London, previously smoked, quit, started to vape, then decided to switch back in line with the ban. 'It seemed like a good moment to finally kick the habit,' he says. 'Plus a lot of my friends used this arbitrary date too, so there was strength in numbers.' When socialising, Lewis says he needs something to 'break up' the night. 'The pub setting is the most challenging, with the combination of beer, friends, and outdoor space. It's just too tempting, and I saw the occasional fag as a much less unhealthy and expensive than chugging three to four vapes a week.' Although he too knows the risks of cigarettes, he found quitting in the past easy so isn't worried about that side of things. 'I much prefer vaping. It's tastier, doesn't make your clothes smell, and for me it's much more addictive, so I'm not concerned I'll become a full-time smoker as I genuinely don't like it as much,' says Lewis. Since smoking cigarettes, Lewis says his 'vape cravings' have lessened and that he's barely thought about them. 'I know the science says vaping is less harmful, however there are still a lot of unknowns, especially related to heavy metals, microplastics, and the long term effects. Most people aren't chain-smoking one after another. So for me, it's definitely a 'healthier' choice considering that I smoke much less than I vaped.' Currently, he smokes five to 10 cigarettes a week and plans to keep an eye on it so the habit doesn't grow. He's also considered snus (a smokeless tobacco people place under their lip), but that doesn't always react well with him. The people I've interviewed aren't stupid: they know the risks, they never were chain-smokers, they think there's nuance missing from the advice for people like themselves with more socially-led habits. Dr Deborah Lee, of Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, says that yes, it's true that cigarettes contain less nicotine than many vapes. 'Some vapes contain 40 mg of nicotine — 400-600 puffs. This is equivalent to smoking one to two packs of cigarettes. Illegally sold vapes may contain even higher amounts of nicotine. So, converting from vapes to cigarettes would result in less nicotine exposure, depending on how many cigarettes are smoked.' But, Lee makes it clear this isn't where the health piece ends. 'When you light a cigarette, tobacco is burning, and you inhale cigarette smoke into your lungs which contains over 5000 noxious substances including over 50 known carcinogens. E-cigarettes and vapes deliver nicotine without exposure to the harms of cigarette smoke.' Nicotine is the lesser evil, and yet it's what many smokers tend to focus on. Vaping isn't perfect, though, and it doesn't come without its own risks to a person's health. Lee shares that a 2020 review concluded that vaping has a similar effect on respiratory and cardiac function as smoking. 'Over time, vaping causes constriction of the smaller airways and damage to the lung epithelium like smoking. Vaping also increases blood pressure and causes arterial stiffness.' Essentially, more research is needed. For a generation of people used to getting answers at the tap of a search bar, the lack of data isn't helping faith in vaping over smoking. 'While research shows the most successful ways to stop smoking involve behavioural treatment programs with nicotine replacement products (which can include vapes), varenicline and bupropion, a 2017 meta-analysis of 38 studies found that smokers were 28% less likely to quit if they used e-cigarettes. Other studies have had similar results,' Lee adds. This is where people are turning to what feels best for them personally. Ellie says going back to cigarettes helped her quit vapes in just a few days. 'If it was freezing cold or rainy outside, I'd find myself not willing to go out for a cigarette. Cigarettes helped me lessen the oral fixation as I can't smoke them at my desk, and I feel satisfied with smaller hits of nicotine spaced throughout the day. I can't imagine ever going back to vaping. The convenience of it made my addiction feel stronger and more constant than anything I'd experienced before. While I could easily finish a Juul pod in a day or so, I couldn't possibly smoke 20 American Spirits in 24 hours without feeling seriously ill.' There's no data on how effective smoking can be to quit vapes, but Ellie is giving it a try nonetheless. She wants to quit everything before turning 30. *Names have been changed to protect identities.
NBC News
20-07-2025
- Health
- NBC News
A cross between a nicotine pouch and an energy drink: What to know about caffeine pouches
David Gomez, a school resource officer for the Boise County Sheriff's Office in Idaho, started noticing caffeine pouches last spring. Students were using the pillow-shaped pouches, which can contain more than 200 milligrams of caffeine, alongside nicotine pouches like Zyn. They'll use them either as a disguise for nicotine pouch usage — caffeine and nicotine pouches often look virtually identical — or a complement to it, Gomez said. 'They'll use the Zyn pouches that they put in their lip, and then they'll take a caffeine pouch,' he added. 'They don't care what it is they're putting in their lip.' The use of caffeine pouches among teens is still relatively rare. But some experts and educators have concerns that that could soon change. Teen-friendly marketing of these products is spreading on social media. And Richard Mumby, the marketing executive who helped launch the e-cigarette Juul, which was widely blamed for sparking a teen vaping epidemic, is back with a caffeine pouch startup called Wip. Wip joins a growing market drafting off the popularity of nicotine pouches and trying to sell Americans on a new alternative to caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is part of 'the fabric of many Americans' everyday lives,' Mumby told NBC News — but he argues there's room for improvement. Wip and its competitors are pitching caffeine pouches as a convenient, portable and affordable alternative to caffeinated drinks. A cross between nicotine pouches and energy drinks, they are placed between the lip and gums to quickly deliver a hands-free hit of caffeine. Pouches typically last anywhere from roughly 20 minutes to an hour, but their caffeine buzz can linger longer. Wip's pouches come in flavors like mint, strawberry kiwi and sour cherry, and each one contains either 100 or 200 milligrams of caffeine — the latter being roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee, or half the amount of caffeine most adults can safely consume in an entire day, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The health effects of caffeine pouches are not well-studied. But not all experts are sold on this new form of caffeine delivery. Rob van Dam, a professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health who studies caffeine, voiced concerns about the potency of some pouches on the market, particularly for consumers who are not used to them. 'It may be a bit different than coffee,' he said. 'It may hit faster, and you may overdose, in a way, more quickly.' The potential appeal to teens is another concern, given the existing popularity of nicotine pouches and energy drinks. (Philip Morris, which makes Zyn, has previously told NBC News that 'Zyn's marketing is directed toward legal age nicotine users who are 21+.') While there are no federal age restrictions on the sale or use of caffeine, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens consume no more than 100 mg of caffeine per day — or, even better, avoid using it at all, said Dr. Mark Corkins, chair of the AAP's Committee on Nutrition. Youth caffeine use came under increasing scrutiny following high-profile reports of death and serious injury among young people who consumed Panera Bread's heavily caffeinated Charged Lemonade, which the brand discontinued in 2024 as part of a 'menu transformation.' Separately, medical visits related to kids drinking other caffeinated beverages are also on the rise: From 2022 to 2023, America's Poison Centers charted a 24% increase in calls related to energy-drink consumption among people younger than 20. And the rate of pediatric emergency room visits related to caffeine usage roughly doubled between 2017 and 2023, although such visits remain rare, according to data from Epic Research. 'Caffeine, in general, is an area we are very concerned about,' Corkins said. 'Pouches are just another delivery form.' A growing market — and an ethical 'gray zone' Caffeine pouches aren't entirely new. The brand Grinds started selling coffee pouches about 15 years ago, initially targeting the niche market of baseball players who wanted an alternative to chewing tobacco. At first, business 'was like flying a plane into headwinds,' said co-founder Patrick Pezet. 'No one knew what pouches were. It was totally foreign.' Business has increased steadily over time, growing by 20% to 50% each year since the company launched, Pezet said. Especially in the last five years or so — in parallel with the rise of the popular nicotine pouch brand Zyn — there's been a dramatic shift in the public's awareness of and willingness to use mouth pouches, Pezet said. (Wip said in a press release that almost half of adults ages 18 to 40 are interested in using pouches for energy.) Caffeine pouches are still a small market, particularly compared to the multibillion-dollar U.S. coffee industry or even the nicotine pouch industry. Still, Pezet said, his company has a growing customer base, mostly made up of adults who want an alternative to nicotine products. Another sign of growth: an explosion of competitors. 'We keep close tabs on the entire market,' Pezet said. 'There's probably 50 to 60 total caffeine pouches or energy pouches out there. Two or three years ago, that number was a couple dozen.' As the market proliferates, it has given rise to a 'gray zone' of legal but ethically dubious promotion to young people, Pezet said. (A blog post on Grinds' website says 'there is absolutely no age restriction on purchasing or using Grinds Coffee Pouches,' but Pezet said the brand directs its marketing toward customers 18 and older.) In some social media posts, creators explicitly promote caffeine pouches to students. 'Can you pop a lower decky in school?' asked an influencer in one TikTok post about pouches from the brand LyvWel, using a slang term for mouth pouches. 'One-hundred percent, guys. You can use the lower deckies in school. You don't have to be 21 to buy them.' A representative for LyvWel said the post was not created, approved or sponsored by LyvWel. 'Although caffeine products are legally available to anyone who can purchase tea, coffee, or energy drinks, LyvWel was created specifically as an alternative for adult nicotine pouch users,' the representative wrote in an email. 'We do not market to teens.' Some TikTok creators who review and promote caffeine pouches appear to be teenagers themselves, although it is not clear whether their posts have been approved by the brands they mention. 'Viral, organic social-media marketing' Dr. Robert Jackler, a professor emeritus at Stanford Medicine who studies tobacco-industry advertising, sees echoes of Juul in Wip's marketing. Wip is active on TikTok and Instagram — two platforms used heavily by young people — and features athletes and fitness influencers in its posts, a combination that Jackler said is 'patently youth-oriented' and reminiscent of the lifestyle-focused, influencer-driven marketing campaigns that Juul ran under Mumby, now the Wip CEO. Such marketing prompted multiple lawsuits alleging Juul purposely targeted underage customers. Juul executives have repeatedly denied that allegation and have not admitted wrongdoing in legal settlements. But the company's product became nearly synonymous with youth vaping at a time when almost 30% of high school students used e-cigarettes. '[Mumby] is doing the same kind of viral, organic social-media marketing that he did with Juul,' Jackler said. 'We take responsible caffeine consumption and responsible marketing of our product seriously,' a Wip spokesperson said in a statement provided to NBC News. 'While there are no legal age restrictions on caffeine products, we have adopted marketing guidelines that exceed the age-related standards set by the American Beverage Association for most common energy drinks. Wip is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18, and our guidelines ensure the product is marketed responsibly. We proactively train all external partners on our marketing guidelines so there is education and alignment at every layer of our business.' Despite their spread online, caffeine pouches do not seem to be nearly as ubiquitous in schools as Juul was at its prime, nor as either energy drinks or nicotine pouches are today. An estimated 64% and 5% of teenagers have tried energy drinks and nicotine pouches, respectively, while there is little data on youth caffeine pouch usage. Dylan Lippold, a middle school teacher in Wisconsin, said he remains more concerned about energy drink consumption among his students. 'I would walk into a class and see five or so kids drinking [an energy drink] in the morning,' he said. 'That's a little concerning that a middle schooler needs that much caffeine to get going for the day.' Health concerns Caffeine is often seen as a harmless, or even beneficial, stimulant — and within reason, it can be. Although most experts agree it's possible to become dependent on caffeine, it's not considered as addictive as nicotine. And in addition to providing energy and mental clarity, caffeine consumption can come with significant health benefits, studies conducted among adults have shown. 'In population studies, people drinking three or four cups of coffee per day have a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, like coronary heart disease and stroke,' van Dam said. 'But going beyond that, like more than five cups of coffee per day, we do not see the same benefits.' And, he noted, it's not clear whether the caffeine in energy drinks or pouches carries the same benefits as classic coffee. At high levels of consumption, caffeine can cause side effects that range from relatively benign (anxiety, jitters, GI distress, difficulty sleeping) to more worrisome (heart palpitations, high blood pressure, increased heart rate). In rare cases, heavy caffeine consumption can cause fatal complications, including cardiac arrest, studies show. For children and teenagers, who are typically smaller and weigh less than adults, the thresholds of safe caffeine consumption are lower. The AAP recommends against pediatric caffeine usage not only because of the potential for toxicity, but also because kids who need to use a lot of caffeine probably aren't getting enough sleep, Corkins said. 'Even if you get a stimulant, it's not a substitute for sleep,' he said. Research also suggests that children who consume more than 100 mg of caffeine during a school day are more likely than those who don't to struggle with self-control and behavioral issues. For users of all ages, caffeine pouches, like nicotine pouches, may pose a threat to oral health, added Jackler, who in addition to studying tobacco marketing is an ear, nose and throat doctor. Routinely placing a foreign substance between the lips and gums may lead to gum recession and dental problems, so 'it's not necessarily an optimal way of taking in your caffeine, especially if it's something you're doing all day,' Jackler said. Consumers should also be aware that caffeine pouches may not be tightly regulated, van Dam said. While the FDA has cracked down on the sale of 'pure and highly concentrated' caffeine products — like tubs of caffeine powder that contain thousands of servings that users must measure out themselves — caffeine pouches are regulated 'as either dietary supplements or conventional foods, depending on their composition and marketing,' an FDA spokesperson said. Supplements typically do not go through FDA review and approval before being sold to consumers. Labeling is another concern, Jackler said: Some energy pouches on the market do not clearly state how much caffeine they contain. Even with accurate labels, the potency of some caffeine pouches raises eyebrows. Two-hundred milligrams of caffeine is 'really the maximum amount that's being recommended in one sitting,' van Dam said, and some brands meet or exceed that amount in a single pouch. The pouch industry isn't alone in that; energy drinks and coffee drinks can also pack in huge amounts of caffeine per serving, often also without clear labeling. But these products are both more familiar to consumers and easier to pace, in that people can stop sipping if they start to notice side effects, van Dam said. A caffeine pouch, by contrast, delivers a concentrated dose of caffeine fairly quickly, and 'once it's absorbed, it's absorbed,' he said. Research also suggests that consuming nicotine and caffeine at the same time can compound their negative effects on the heart — a concern, given that some users alternate between nicotine and caffeine pouches. Given these dangers, Jackler fears what could happen if caffeine pouches go the way of nicotine pouches, 'where kids put in four pouches in the upper lip and three pouches in the bottom lip,' he said. 'Young people, particularly, think that if a little bit helps, they're going to take even more.
Associated Press
19-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Juul gets FDA's OK to keep selling tobacco and menthol e-cigarettes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is allowing vaping brand Juul to keep its e-cigarettes on the market, providing relief to a company that has struggled for years after being widely blamed for sparking the teen vaping trend. FDA regulators said Thursday that Juul's studies show its e-cigarettes are less harmful for adult smokers, who can benefit from switching completely to vaping. The FDA decision applies to both tobacco- and menthol-flavored versions of the reusable product, which works with nicotine-filled cartridges sold in two different strengths. Juul previously discontinued several fruit and candy flavors that helped drive its popularity but were favored by teens. Juul will be one of only two U.S. companies authorized to sell menthol-flavored vapes, which many adults prefer to tobacco flavor. 'This is an important milestone for the company and I think we made a scientifically sound case for the role that menthol can play in e-vapor,' Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite told The Associated Press. Parents, politicians and anti-tobacco groups are certain to oppose FDA's decision. They have argued for years that Juul products should be permanently banned due to their role in triggering a yearslong spike in underage vaping. 'It is a big step in the wrong direction to authorize sales of the product that was responsible for this public health crisis in the first place,' said Yolonda Richardson, CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a statement. Juul was once valued at over $13 billion and its small, sleek e-cigarettes revolutionized the image and technology of the vaping industry. But the company has since been forced to slash hundreds of jobs and pay billions to settle lawsuits over its role in the rise of youth vaping. The FDA had ordered the company to remove its products from the market in June 2022. But then the agency abruptly reversed course days later and agreed to reopen its scientific review of Juul's application after the company pushed back in court. Juul said that regulators had overlooked thousands of pages of scientific data critical to its submission. Thursday's announcement is not an approval or endorsement, and the FDA reiterated that people who do not smoke should not use Juul or any other e-cigarettes. The FDA determination indicates that smokers who switch completely to Juul can reduce their exposure to deadly carcinogens and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. The FDA decision applies to Juul's original system, which is now roughly a decade old. Crosthwaite said the company hopes to win authorization for its next-generation device and is also considering applying to FDA for more flavors. 'It's critically important that American adults who use tobacco have regulated options,' Crosthwaite said. In recent years, the FDA has authorized a handful of e-cigarettes to help adult smokers cut back on cigarettes. Juul's main competitors, Vuse and Njoy, each previously received FDA permission to remain on the market. Njoy sells the only other menthol-flavored e-cigarettes authorized by FDA. To meet FDA requirements, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use them are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them. The brainchild of two Stanford University students, Juul launched in 2015 and within two years rocketed to the top of the vaping market. Juul quickly outpaced older brands with its high-nicotine, fruity-flavored cartridges, sold in mango, mint and creme brulé. The company's small, discrete devices provided a more potent, user-friendly alternative to older, bulkier devices. But the company's rise was fueled by underage use, and e-cigarettes quickly became ubiquitous in U.S. schools. In 2019, the company was pressured into halting all advertising and eliminating most of its flavors, leaving only tobacco and menthol-flavored options. By then the company was already the target of multiple investigations and lawsuits by federal, state and local officials as well as class action attorneys. In 2022, the company paid $1.7 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits brought by families of Juul users, school districts, city governments and Native American tribes. The company separately agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle lawsuits or investigations from most U.S. states. Juul is no longer the top-selling e-cigarette brand and now trails Vuse, which is sold by tobacco giant Reynolds American, which also makes Camel and Newport cigarettes. Teens have shifted away from Juul amid a wider drop in vaping, according to the latest federal figures. The FDA reported last year that teen vaping dropped to a 10-year low, after stepped up enforcement against unauthorized brands imported from China, such as Elf Bar.
